Prospecting Anticancer Compounds in Actinomycetes Recovered from the Sediments of Saint Peter and Saint Paul's Archipelago,Brazil

Saint Peter and Saint Paul's Archipelago is a collection of 15 islets and rocks remotely located in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean. In this particular site, the present project intended to assess the biodiversity and biotechnological potential of bacteria from the actinomycete group. This study presents the first results of this assessment. From 21 sediment samples, 268 strains were isolated and codified as BRA followed by three numbers. Of those, 94 strains were grown in liquid media and submitted to chemical extractions with AcOEt (A), BuOH (B), and MeOH (M). A total of 224 extracts were screened for their cytotoxic activity and 41 were significantly active against HCT‐116 cancer cells. The obtained IC₅₀ values ranged from 0.04 to 31.55 μg/ml. The HR‐LC/MS dereplication analysis of the active extracts showed the occurrence of several known anticancer compounds. Individual compounds, identified using HR‐MS combined with analysis of the AntiMarin database, included saliniketals A and B, piericidins A and C and glucopiericidin A, staurosporine, N‐methylstaurosporine, hydroxydimethyl‐staurosporine and N‐carbamoylstaurosporine, salinisporamycin A, and rifamycins S and B. BRA‐199, identified as Streptomyces sp., was submitted to bioassay‐guided fractionation, leading to isolation of the bioactive piericidins A and C, glucopiericidin, and three known diketopiperazines, cyclo(l ‐Phe‐trans‐4‐OH‐l ‐Pro), cyclo(l ‐Phe‐l ‐Pro), and cyclo(l ‐Trp‐l ‐Pro).     

Occurrences of whale shark (Rhincodon typus Smith, 1828) in the Saint Peter and Saint Paul archipelago, Brazil

The Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago in the central tropical Atlantic, is an important ground of whale sharks that are commonly sighted throughout the year close to the fishing boats in the adjacencies of the islands. In sightings reported between February 2000 and November 2005, the lengths of the individuals ranged between 1.8 to 14.0 m. The causes of these concentrations in the archipelago are still unclear, once there are no upwellings and plankton concentrations for feeding, and no reproductive activities were reported. Nevertheless, they could be associated to the spawning period of the abundant flying fishes, mainly in the first semester, when sightings were more frequent.     

Vibrio madracius sp. nov. Isolated from Madracis decactis (Scleractinia) in St Peter & St Paul Archipelago,Mid-Atlantic Ridge,Brazil

Three novel isolates (A-354^T, A-328, and A-384) were retrieved from apparently healthy scleractinian Madracis decactis in the remote St Peter & St Paul Archipelago, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Brazil. The novel isolates formed a distinct lineage based on the phylogenetic reconstruction using the 16S rRNA and pyrH gene sequences. They fell into the Mediterranei clade and their closest phylogenetic neighbour was V. mediterranei species, sharing upto 98.1 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity. Genomic analysis including in silico DDH, MLSA, AAI and genomic signature distinguished A-354^T from V. mediterranei LMG 19703 (=AK1) with values of 33.3, 94.2, 92 %, and 11.3, respectively. Phenotypically, the novel isolates can be differentiated from V. mediterranei based on the four following features. They do not grow at 8 % NaCl; use d-gluconic acid but not l-galactonic acid lactone as carbon source; and do not have the fatty acid C_18:0. Differentiation from both the other Mediterranei clade species (V. maritimus and V. variabilis) is supported by fifteen features. The novel species show lysine decarboxylase and tryptophan deaminase, but not gelatinase and arginine dihydrolase activity; produce acetoin; use α-d-lactose, N-acetyl-d-galactosamine, myo-Inositol, d-gluconic acid, and β-hydroxy-d,l-butyric acid; and present the fatty acids C_14:0 iso, C_15:0 anteiso, C_16:0 iso, C_17:0 anteiso, and C_17:1x8c . Whole-cell protein profiles, based on MALDI-TOF, showed that the isolates are not clonal and also distinguished them from the closes phylogenetic neighbors. The name Vibrio madracius sp. nov. is proposed to encompass these novel isolates. The G+C content of the type strain A-354^T (=LMG 28124^T=CBAS 482^T) is 44.5 mol%.     

Culturable Heterotrophic Bacteria Associated with Healthy and Bleached Scleractinian Madracis decactis and the Fireworm Hermodice carunculata from the Remote St. Peter and St. Paul Archipelago, Brazil

We report on the first characterization of the culturable heterotrophic bacteria of the scleractinian Madracis decactis. In addition, we characterized the culturable bacteria associated with the fireworm Hermodice carunculata, observed predating partially bleached coral colonies. Our study was carried out in the remote St. Peter and St. Paul Archipelago (SPSPA), Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Brazil. We constituted a 403 isolates collection and subsequently characterized it by means of pyrH and 16S rRNA partial sequences. We identified Photobacterium, Bacillus, and Vibrio species as members of the culturable microbiota of healthy M. decactis. V. campbellii, V. harveyi, V. communis, and V. maritimus were the most commonly found Vibrio species in healthy corals, representing more than 60 % of all vibrio isolates. Most of the vibrios isolated from the fireworm’s tissues (n = 143; >90 %) were identified as V. shiloi. However, we did not recover V. shiloi from bleached M. decactis. Instead, we isolated V. communis, a novel Photobacterium species, Bacillus, Kocuria, and Pseudovibrio, suggesting a possible role of other facultative anaerobic bacteria and/or environmental features (such as water quality) in the onset of bleaching in SPSPA’s M. decactis.     

A checklist of parasitic nematodes from marine fishes of China

A checklist of the parasitic nematodes of Chinese marine fishes is presented. This fauna comprises 90 species, representing 31 genera, 13 families, nine superfamilies, three orders and two subclasses. Additional details for each species include the hosts, localities and references which represent the source of these data.     

Initial checklist of fishes from Henderson Island, Pitcairn Group

Notes are given on the presence and distribution of reef fishes at Henderson Island (24^o21'S, 128^o19'W) from two separate visits in 1971 and 1991. Limited collections were made in 1971, whilst 1991 records are based on confirmed sightings and in situ photographs. 183 species from 49 families are listed, with museum numbers and lengths being given for collected specimens. This is thought to represent 80–90% of species present. The family with the greatest representation is the Labridae with 21 species. Only 31% of species appear to be shared with neighbouring Ducie Atoll, 390 km to the east, from where 138 species have been recorded, though this low percentage may simply reflect the greater recording effort undertaken at Henderson. Levels of endemism in the Pitcairn Group as a whole appear low (<2%).     

The fishes of Saint Paul's Rocks

Fifty species of fishes are recorded from Saint Paul's Rocks in a checklist which includes notes on ecology and behaviour. The poor species diversity, which is the lowest of any tropical island studied to date, seems to result from the isolation of the Rocks and also their small size and lack of habitat diversity. Large pelagic and semi-pelagic predators, especially Galapagos sharks, are unusually common; 12.1% of identified shore fishes at St Paul's appear to be endemic to the Rocks, while 6.1% are known only from the tropical islands of the mid-Atlantic ridge (St Paul's, Ascension, St Helena); 15.2% are recorded only from Brazil and St Paul's 30.3% are widespread western Atlantic forms that have the central Atlantic as the eastern limit of their range; a further 36.4% are widely distributed throughout the tropical Atlantic. Three new species are described: Anthias salmopunctatus, Stegastes sanctipauli and Enneanectes smithi .     

赣江鱼类物种更新名录

赣江是长江的主要支流之一, 淡水鱼类多样性极其丰富, 但是目前对于该河流的鱼类多样性还未有充分的了解。本研究于2016年9月至2017年8月对赣江鱼类进行了实地调查, 结合历史文献资料并参考最新的分类学成果, 更新了赣江淡水鱼类名录。结果表明, 赣江共有淡水鱼类180种, 隶属于12目31科93属。其中, 土著鱼类174种, 外来鱼类6种。赣江鱼类以鲤形目为主; 鲤科种类最多, 其次是鲿科。更新的物种名录中, 包含23个新记录土著种, 其中有5个未被描述的新种; 有36个历史资料记载的种类被剔除出物种名录; 25个物种发生了分类地位的变更。此外, 本次调查有28种鱼类未采集到, 说明这些鱼类的种群数量正在急剧下降, 而这些鱼类分别属于洄游性、流水性和产漂流性卵等独特生态类型, 说明赣江鱼类多样性受到了严重的人为干扰。本研究所给出的赣江鱼类的更新物种名录, 可为今后的赣江鱼类多样性保护提供理论基础。     

Biology of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Grapsus grapsus</Emphasis> (L<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">innaeus</Emphasis>, 1758) (Brachyura,Grapsidae) in the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago,Equatorial Atlantic Ocean

Eleven expeditions were undertaken to the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago to study the reproductive biology of Grapsus grapsus, providing additional information on limb mutilation and carapace colour. MATURE software was used to estimate morphological maturity, while gonadal analyses were conducted to estimate physiological maturity. The puberty moult took place at larger size in males (51.4 mm of carapace length) than in females (33.8 mm), while physiological maturity occurred at a similar size in males (38.4 mm) and in females (33.4 mm). Above 50 mm, the proportion of red males increased in the population, indicating that functional maturity is also related to colour pattern. Small habitat and high local population density contributed to the high rate of cannibalism. The low diversity of food items, absence of predators of large crabs and high geographic isolation are the determinants of unique behavioural and biological characteristics observed in the G. grapsus population.     

Coexistence of reef organisms in the Abrolhos Archipelago, Brazil

The first study on coexistence of reef benthic organisms in Brazilian coral reefs was done in three localities of the Abrolhos Archipelago. Organisms were recorded in concentric circle samples (10 and 20 cm in diameter) randomly laid on transects. Type and frequency of "coexistence events" between pairs of organisms were determined. Most frequent organisms (massive and branched coralline algae, Favia gravida, and Agaricia agaricites) also had many significant positive coexistence events. These results might be related to the abundances of these organisms. The most frequent coral (Siderastrea stellata), however, exhibited only a few significant coexistence events (9% of 32 tests). Since the great majority of events were positive, and since there was high variation in the species/groups involved in significant events in different localities, benthic communities of Abrolhos Archipelago may well be structured primarily by abiotic rather than biotic factors.     

Morphological and karyotypic differentiation in Caranx lugubris (Perciformes: Carangidae) in the St. Peter and St. Paul Archipelago,mid-Atlantic Ridge

Isolated oceanic islands constitute interesting model systems for the study of colonization processes, as several climatic and oceanographic phenomena have played an important role in the history of the marine ichthyofauna. The present study describes the presence of two morphotypes of Caranx lugubris, in the St. Peter and St. Paul Archipelago located in the mid-Atlantic. Morphotypes were compared in regard to their morphological and cytogenetic patterns, using C-banding, Ag-NORs, staining with CMA₃/DAPI fluorochromes and chromosome mapping by dual-color FISH analysis with 5S rDNA and 18S rDNA probes. We found differences in chromosome patterns and marked divergence in body patterns which suggest that different populations of the Atlantic or other provinces can be found in the Archipelago of St. Peter and St. Paul.     

A new genus and two new species of gobiid fishes (Perciformes) from the Chagos Archipelago,Central Indian Ocean

Synopsis A recent (1979) expedition to the Chagos Archipelago resulted in the collection of about 40 new taxa of fishes. A new genus,Trimmatom, and two new species,T. nanus andT. offucius, are described here. The new genus is characterized by having all pelvic-fin rays simple (unbranched), a scaleless body, no head pores, a wide gill opening extending anteroventrally to below the eye, and hypurals 1 and 2 fused to the complex formed by the fusion of the ural centrum and hypurals 3 and 4.T. nanuss andT. offucius are differentiated on the basis of fin ray counts and colour pattern.T. nanus is the smallest vertebrate yet to be described. Mature females with ovaries full of eggs are 8–10 mm in standard length.     

Nematodes of elasmobranch fishes from the southern coast of Brazil

New records for nematode species recovered from elasmobranch fishes in Brazil are established and new systematical arrangements proposed. Parascarophis sphyrnae Campana-Rouget, 1955 from the spiral valve of Sphyrna zygaena is referred for the first time in South America as a new host record. Procamallanus (S.) pereirai Annereaux, 1946, from the spiral valve of Raja castelnaui is reported parasitizing an elasmobranch host. Nematode larvae of the genera Anisakis, Contracaecum, Pseudoterranova and Raphidascaris are listed from the stomach and spiral valves of several hosts. Anisakidae larvae previously referred in Brazil in the genus Phocanema should be reallocated in Pseudoterranova. Nematodes of the genera Anisakis, Contracaecum, Pseudoterranova and Raphidascaris are reported for the first time parasitizing elasmobranchs in Brazil.     

广西䗛目新名录

通过整理广西师范大学馆藏标本与查阅文献,共记录广西(螩)目昆虫75种,隶属于5科28属.物种按Brock(2011)的新分类系统分科排列,同科物种按学名字母顺序排列.原来长角枝(螩)亚科Necroseiinae中的大部分属与短角棒(螩)亚科Pachymorphinae中的一部分属从异(螩)科Heteronemiidae移至笛(螩)科Diapheromeridae,短角棒(螩)亚科Pachymorphinae中的一部分属与长角棒(螩)亚科Lonchodinae中的大部分属从异(螩)科移至(螩)科Phasmatidae.笛(螩)科与蝻科包含了中国(螩)目的大部分种类,异(螩)科目前在中国没有记录.根据期刊的实际出版时间将3个物种的发表时间修正如下:花坪长棒(螩)Lonchodes huapingensis (Bi&Li,1992)、长臀薇(螩)Pachyscia longicauda(Bi,1992)与梵净山副华枝(螩)Parasinophasma fanjingshanense (Chen&He,2006).对部分物种的学名变动作了简要讨论.     

Fauna and zoogeography of deep-benthic chondrichthyan fishes around the Japanese Archipelago

The deep-benthic chondrichthyan fishes collected by 584 hauls of otter-trawl from the Okinawa Trough, Kyushu-Palau Ridge, Pacific continental slope off northern Honshu Island (“Tohoku Slope”) and continental slope of Okhotsk Sea off Hokkaido (“Okhotsk Slope”) were analyzed. Sixty-one species were recorded from 200 to 1,520 m in depths; 37 species from the Okinawa Trough, 10 from the Kyushu-Palau Ridge, 18 from the Tohoku Slope, and nine from the Okhotsk Slope. The Okinawa Trough has the most varied composition, with many species of the Squalidae, Scyliorhinidae, and Rajidae (genusRaja). The Kyushu-Palau Ridge has a relatively high number of squalid species, but no species of the Rajidae or Chimaeriformes. The Tohoku Slope fauna is relatively varied, comprising six families, of which the Rajidae (genusBathyraja) is the most numerous, followed by the Squalidae. The Okhotsk Slope has the least number of species, and is characterized by a remarkable dominance of the Rajidae (genusBathyraja).     

Zoogeography of the coral reef fishes of the Socotra Archipelago

Fish communities and habitats were studied at the Socotra archipelago (Gulf of Aden, ≈12°N 54°E). Extensive and unexpected hermatypic coral communities were recorded, at the centre of a 2200 km gap in knowledge of species and habitat distributions which coincides with a change from a western Indian Ocean coral reef fauna to an Arabian one. The fish assemblage associated with the Socotra archipelago corals is predominantly south Arabian. An east African influence, minimal on the mainland coasts of Arabia, is more evident here, and results in previously unrecorded sympatry between Arabian endemic species and their Indian Ocean sister taxa. A study of distributions of Chaetodontidae (butterflyfishes) in the north-western Indian Ocean reveals a number of distinct patterns, with a trend for species replacement along a track from the northern Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. A major feature of the reef fish zoogeography of the region is found to be a distinct south Arabian area, characterized by a 'pseudo-high latitude effect' which results from seasonal cold water upwelling along the Arabian sea coasts of Yemen and Oman and the Indian Ocean coast of Somalia. This south Arabian feature is consistent across a wide range of fish families. It is most pronounced in Oman and Yemen, and although it is the dominant influence at Socotra it is slightly 'diluted' here by the east African influence. The south Arabian area wholly or partly accounts for most of the major marine zoogeographic features around Arabia, and is the principal feature fragmenting Arabian coastal fish assemblages, and separating them from those of the wider Indo-west Pacific.